Derry Girls Succeeds Where Other Teen Shows Fail

gamerant.com:

It's no secret that TV shows aren't the best at realistically depicting the experience of being a teenager. Countless shows and movies focus on the trials and tribulations of high school and teen years, but most of them glamorize this period of life or play into tired tropes that don't feel relatable to teenagers today. It doesn't help that a majority of teen shows have actors that are nearing (or in) their thirties, playing sixteen-year-olds.

There is one show, however, that manages to capture the experience of being in high school, in a way that not many other shows are capable of doing. This, of course, is Derry Girls. Derry Girls takes place in the town of Derry in Northern Ireland in the 1990s during the Troubles, a period of civil unrest in the country. The show follows a group of teenagers as they navigate their coming of age while the turmoil of their country looms in the background. The show doesn't try to romanticize the teenage experience in the same way that many other shows do. Instead, it leans into the awkwardness and uncomfortable moments that come with adolescence.

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Derry Girls is a comedy, but it's also a coming-of-age story. The show is hilarious and packs a ton of clever and well-written jokes and situations into each episode. However, it doesn't forget to have a heart as well. For example, there is a moment in the show where the adult characters learn of a great tragedy that signifies more unrest for Ireland, while the kids are performing in a talent show. The footage of both scenes intercut with each other is a fantastic juxtaposition that shows the reality of the time: life keeps happening even in the midst of tragedy. It also hits